Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said the launch of managed services will allow companies to share ideas and offer better services to their clients while saving costs.

Mr Joseph said the demand for managed services in the Information Technology (IT) sector was on the rise as companies look for ways of streamlining expenditure.

First up will be the rolling out of a ‘Managed Office in a Box’, which includes connectivity, conferencing and collaboration tools, security and a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Cisco’s managed services offering will provide Safaricom’s customers with a complete end-to-end system, tailored to meet their individual business needs and get the benefit of better service support.

The Internet Protocol (IP) services will be delivered through Safaricom’s wired and wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) with integrated security features.

“With one stop solutions, business managers do not have to worry about the day-to -ay management of area networks and Internet based applications, freeing up time to concentrate on their core business,” Mr Joseph said.